


With Arms Wide Open, Now Everything has Changed

by missjedi81



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2020-10-18 03:56:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 20,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20632691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missjedi81/pseuds/missjedi81
Summary: Rey Niima, freshly aged out of the foster system, accidentally gets on the wrong train. She has no idea how much her life is about to change when she meets a handsome stranger who helps her out.





	1. The Train to Takodana

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! So, this is the first fic I've ever posted, so kinda nervous about how it will turn out. Hope you enjoy, and please be kind with comments!

Rey Niima buried her face in her hands. 

How had she screwed up her life so thoroughly? 

She'd gotten off relatively easy, considering. She still couldn't believe Plutt had actually called the cops on her. No doubt he would have reconsidered that course of action, had he known what it would end up costing him. 

Still, it was a small consolation when her own life had been royally screwed up thanks to her sentimentality. 

Don't get attached to anything. That had always been her motto. Things held you back. Things made it difficult to run. Even if one of those things was a car, appearantly. Even a car as fabulous as a 1977 Millenium Falcon. 

Unkar Plutt had been Rey's foster parent since the age of 10. He owned a junk yard and auto repair shop in Jakuu, Arizona and Rey quickly learned how to make herself useful, and make herself scarce. She learned how to work on cars, and how to assess the  
value of car parts. 

Somewhere in Plutt's junk yard, Rey had found an old '77 Millenium Falcon and fell in love with it. It became her special project. It needed a lot of part and a lot of work done to it, and a few months after her 17th birthday, she finally got it to run. 

She's still not sure what caused her to do it. Maybe because that creep, Teedo, got more aggressive in his advances. Maybe she had just had enough of Plutt's derogatory, sexist, vile remarks to her. Maybe it was because she finally had a little money saved. Just enough to get somewhere. California, maybe. 

So in the middle of the night, she packed her few possessions, hopped in the Falcon and hightailed it out of there. 

She got to the outskirts of LA before she got caught. She was arrested and her case was taken by a local attorney named Amylin Holdo, who specialized in working with minors. 

Rey told Amylin everything, enabling the police to find sufficient evidence of Plutt's involvement in a ring of car thieves, along with other charges of extortion and child neglect. 

Part of the deal was that Rey had to spend the rest of year in a youth detention center, and would be released on her 18th birthday and as a minor, her criminal records would be sealed. 

On the plus side, she got 3 meals a day and was still able to finish her schooling. Unfortunately, her dual enrollment classes would be disrupted and she had seriously damaged her chances of getting any decent scholarships. But there was nothing for it now. 

Amalyn was there to meet her when she was released and had given her a piece of paper with some information on it, along with a train ticket. 

“There's an old friend of mine upstate in Takodana,” Amylin told her. “Her name is Maz Kanata. She has a program for young people who need help getting on their feet. She's got a lot of connections and can get you set up with a job, a place to stay, maybe even college if that's what you want to do.” Rey bristled a bit at the implication that she was a charity case. But she really didn't have many options. 

Amilyn seemed to sense her reluctance and placed her hand on Rey's. “I know what you're thinking. I can see it in your eyes. This is not my way of saying I don't think you can make it on your own. I know you can. You're smart, and resourceful and so full of potential. You should know I don't send all of my cases up to Maz. But I see a little of myself in you. And I want you to get the same start in life that I did.” She pauses and waits for what she's said to sink in and Rey looks at Amilyn in surprise. “Yep. I was quite the rebel when I was your age. Maz helped me turn my life around and now I devote my life to helping others.” 

Rey wandered around the train station trying to figure out what everything on her ticket meant. It was crowded, it was confusing, but she finally managed to get onto the train with 30 minutes to spare. 

Or so she thought. 

The train started moving and Rey looked at her ticket again to double check the time. 4:45pm. She checked her watch. 

4:18

Why was the train moving already? She glanced around and none of the other passengers seemed concerned about a premature departure. Most of them were absorbed with their laptops, phones or books. 

She wandered into the next car, which appeared to be some sort of lounge car. Quite a nice lounge car. There were even fewer people here than in the passenger car. 

The man closest to her looked up from his book to peer curiously at her. He had a tumbler of some sort of drink in his hand, which hung loosely over the edge of his reclining chair. 

In spite of her growing panic, Rey couldn't help but notice this man was quite handsome, with soulful brown eyes and full lips and wavy black hair that looked like it would be heaven to run her fingers thorugh. 

“Are you ok, Miss?” The man asked her with a furrowed brow, shaking her from her very strange and unbidden imaginings. 

“I suppose I'm just confused,” she replied. “The train wasn't supposed to leave until 4:45. And I'm not sure how to find my seat.” The man continued to look perplexed. 

“May I see your ticket?” he asked her finally. She pursed her lips, glanced at the ticket and slowly handed it over to him. 

“Your ticket is for Takodana, California,” he said after looking it over. “This is the train to Chicago.” Rey gasped a looked toward the window. The train was moving a full speed by now. She slumped down into the nearest seat and buried her face in her hands. 

“I can't believe this,” she muttered to herself. “I am so screwed. What an idiot to think anything good could happen for me, just once.” She continued rambling to herself while the stranger watched her with pursed lips and a furrowed brow, as if not quite sure what to do with the situation, or what to say. 

He finally turned back to his book after she stopped talking and started staring at the window, deep in thought. He couldn't help glancing up occasionally, especially once tears started falling silently down her face. 

Rey was disrupted from her thoughts when the conductor appeared and asked to see her ticket. Her heart dropped and she began to rumble through her backpack as if she would magically find a ticket for the train she was on. 

“Oh, I, um, seem to have lost--” she stuttered nervously, still not looking up. 

“She's with me,” said the handsome stranger suddenly. He handed the conductor a piece of paper and the conductor's eyes grew wide. “As you can see I've got a private cabin in the Starkiller car.” 

“Oh, yes, of course, Mr. Ren,” the conductor said. “My apologies for disturbing you. Enjoy the rest of your trip.” Rey stared at the man called “Mr. Ren” as the conductor walked away. He gave her a sideways smirk. 

“You're welcome,” he said. 

“Why would you do that?” Rey demanded. “You don't know anything about me.” 

“What else were you planning to do?” Mr. Ren asked her. “You do realize this is a luxury train? It's not exactly the public transit.” 

“I don't—I wasn't--” Rey chewed on her lip, at a loss for words. “Thank you, I guess. I just—I don't know what you expect from me in return.” 

“Look, you seem like a decent person and you were in trouble because of an honest mistake,” he replied. “And I'm not expecting anything in return. You're my guest.” 

“Oh. Well. My name is Rey. Rey Niima.”

“Nice to meet you, Rey. I'm Kylo Ren.”


	2. No Turning Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo have been together a couple of months now and are growing closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to post another chapter until later this week, but I decided to go ahead and post early to show off this beautiful moodboard made for by @msdes!

A few months had passed since Rey met Kylo, and they were the best months of her life. The 2 day train ride to Chicago gave them plenty of time for conversation. She told him about her life with Plutt, leaving out the incident with the Millenium Falcon and the resulting arrest, and about how she'd been abandoned at the age of 5 at a shopping center. 

Kylo had his own tales of childhood lonliness as the son of a politician whose parents were separated as often as they were together. He often had anger issues growing up and it futhered the divide between him and his parents. 

After he went off to college, he reconnected with his biological grandfather, who had been estranged from the family and Kylo had spoken to his parents very little since then. 

Kylo was helping to run his grandfather's company but after getting on the bad side of some business associates, his grandfather's closest friend and advisor had “strongly recommend” a leave of absence. So Kylo decided to use that time to travel. He was taking the train to Chicago, where he would then rent a car and road trip from there to Coruscant, New York. 

After they arrived in Chicago, Kylo had offered Rey two choices. Either he could buy her a ticket to Takodana, where she'd originally planned to go, or she could come with him and travel the country. 

Rey had only known Kylo for 3 days, but she felt inexplicably drawn to him and the thought of being separated from him so soon filled her with horror, and she had no where else to be. No one else wanted or expected her. And she'd always wanted to travel. 

So travel they did. And somewhere in the course of all that, Rey realized she'd fallen in love with this man who was 9 years older than her. 

This could not possibly end well. 

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

Rey came out of the bathroom clad in only an oversized T-shirt, hair wet from her shower. Kylo studiously tried not to look at her long, tanned legs, feeling like a creep because he wanted to. He swallowed and looked back down at his laptop, the tips of his ears turning red. 

She seemed intent on tormenting him lately. At first she had worn shorts or sleep pants to bed. But lately she'd begun to forgo either, opting for the T-shirt and settling herself next to him, even though the rooms he'd reserved in each location had plenty of space. 

It was getting more and more difficult to resist his attraction to her and she was certainly not helping. He was really falling hard for this girl and they hadn't even kissed yet. They'd held hands, if he found an excuse to do it, such as when they were maneuvering through crowded places. Sometimes he put his arm around her when they were out sightseeing. Occasionally she put her arms around him. They'd found plenty of excuses to touch one another during their time together, but they hadn't progressed beyond that. It felt wrong to take advantage of her innocence, but at the same time, being with her felt so right. There was an inexplicable pull between them that was hard to ignore. 

“Whatcha doin?” Rey asked, crawling on the bed and sitting next to him, her bare knee touching his thigh. He glanced at her face and back to the screen and cleared his throat. 

“Um, just our itinerary. We're almost back to New York. I need to return to Coruscant soon to see my grandfather.” He closed his laptop and set it on the nightstand, grabbing the TV remote instead. 

“Hmm. So what do you want to do tonight?” she asked, reaching up and running her hand through his hair, then down the side of his neck, down his back and onto to the bed so she could lean closer. She laid the side of her head against the front of his shoulder, and angling her face up to look up at his. 

His breath hitched when he looked down at her.

She was so close. Her lips were only inches away and all he'd have to do was lower his lips to hers. Her hazel eyes were so trusting and full of...affection? Desire? Innocence. 

Conflict roiled within him, his conscience at war with his desires. And, oh, did he desire her. And every day his resolve grew weaker. 

She brought her other hand to his chest and lightly grabbed a handful of his T-shirt. And Kylo could resist no more. 

Kylo leaned down and caught her lips with his. She uttered a soft gasp of surprise, but responded enthusiastically. His hand cupped her cheek lightly and Rey wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him to her. He settled himself over her and pushed himself up on his arms. His mouth moved from her lips to her neck and her arms moved to his sides, creeping under his shirt, sliding upwards. 

Kylo abruptly broke away and sat up. 

“We—we shouldn't do this,” he said in a husky voice. Rey pursed her lips and looked away. 

“Right,” she said. She started to move away, toward the edge of the bed. Kylo grabbed her wrist. 

“Rey--” 

“It's fine,” she said, trying to pull her hand away. “I get it. You don't want me. No one's ever wanted me. I'll survive. I'm good at that.” 

“No, Rey. That's not—of course I want you. You have no idea how much. But—I'm nine years older than you! You're eighteen, barely out of high school. I shouldn't want you like I do.” He looked at her intently and she looked back up at him. 

“Exactly,” Rey said. “I'm eighteen. I'm an adult. I make my own decisions. I decide who and what I want. And I want this. I want you.” She grabbed the bottom of his shirt, kneading it with her fingers. Kylo ran his hands through his hair and his eyes were frantic with indecision. Rey leaned back toward him, pleading with her eyes. “Please, Kylo.” She whispered. 

He answered by returning his lips to hers and he knew she had won. He would never be able to deny her anything she asked. 

There was no turning back now.


	3. Two Different Worlds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey discovers she and Kylo come from very different backgrounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it seems I'm writing this faster than I thought! We'll see how long that lasts, though!

In September, Rey and Kylo arrived at the home of Kylo's grandfather, Anakin Skywalker, in Coruscant, New York. It was beautiful and grand and Rey was suddenly extremely nervous. She had some vague idea that Kylo was well off, but this estate was beyond anything she had imagined. 

Kylo introduced Rey to his grandfather, an old man in an arm chair with an oxygen mask on his face. She was also introduced to Alistair Snoke, an old friend of Anakin's, who, she soon found out, was always present. 

Rey knew at once she didn't like this man. He seemed to always be watching her interactions with Kylo with a cold calculation, though his words were usually polite. 

It was as if he were just waiting for an opportunity to catch her alone. And the opportunity finally came when Kylo had to go take care of some business at his grandfather's company. 

Rey was sitting in the library when Snoke glided strolled into the room. 

“Miss Niima,” Snoke said. “I wonder if I might have a word?” Rey looked up from the book she was reading. 

“Um, sure,” she replied, wondering what on earth this man could have to talk to her about. Snoke sat in the other chair at the table. 

“I've been a friend of the family for many years now. I have only their best interests at heart.” Rey frowned in confusion wondering where he was going with this. 

“Of course,” she said carefully. 

“You appear to be a lovely young woman,” he continued, when she didn't say anything else. “But I have to wonder if you understand what you're getting into here. With his grandfather's health in decline, Kylo will have to step up to run his grandfather's company. And you. You're a charming diversion, I'm sure. But I hope you're not getting the wrong idea from his attentions. He will need to marry a certain kind of woman. One who knows how to host a party for the elite. One who dresses with a certain elegance.” 

Snoke paused to appraise her faded T-shirt and ripped jeans. Rey shivered and involuntarily folded her arms over her chest and Snoke continued. 

“One who's not afraid of cameras, or interviews. Of always being in the public eye.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Everything about your past would be scrutinized. Are you quite certain you're prepared for such a life? That you want to involve him in any—publicity that might arise from past—mishaps?” He leaned toward her and she flinched. 

And suddenly she was certain that he knew. He knew about the Falcon. 

“Did you know he has royal blood? His great grandfather was king of a small country called Naboo. The country itself no longer exists, it is true, but imagine the story if word got to the press about the identity of Naboo's long lost would-be prince. It would be a fantastic news story. And what would make it even more sensational?” He tossed the file he was holding on the table in front of her. “The humble beginnings of his would be princess. The press would have a field day.” With trembling fingers, Rey picked up the file and opened it, and sure enough, there was everything about her past, including the Falcon incident. 

“These records were supposed to be sealed,” Rey said, barely above a whisper. 

“True,” Snoke replied. “And officially they are. But that just means they can't be held against you legally. But if the press gets ahold of it—well, there's not much we can do about that.” He smiled at her, but it wasn't a friendly smile. It was a cold, sneering smile, filled with dark promises. 

Rey was reeling inside and suddenly she had to get out of that room. She grabbed the filed and stormed out of the room. 

“You go ahead and keep that, Miss Niima,” Snoke called after her. “I've got another copy!” 

**********************************************************************************************************************************************

“You look so beautiful,” Kylo said, wrapping his arms around her from behind as she stood looking at herself in the full length mirror. 

Kylo was taking her to the opera and she was wearing a floor length gown with her hair done up in an elegant hair style. She felt like the woman in the mirror was a stranger. It didn't feel like her. Snoke's words from earlier came back to haunt her. 

Kylo distracted her by mouthing at the point where her shoulder met her neck. 

“Kylo,” she chided, wriggling away from him. “You'll leave a mark.” 

“Well, maybe we can cover it up with this,” Kylo said, stepping back and holding up a necklace. It was gorgeous and expensive-looking, made up of what Rey was certain were diamonds. There was a pendant in the center of the necklace with a curvy design on it, reminiscent of a fleur-de-lis, yet different. 

“It's beautiful,” Rey said uncertainly, as Kylo fastened it around her neck. “But it looks too grand for me.” 

“Nonsense. It's perfect. I want you to have it. It was my grandmother's. That design was the royal crest of Naboo. She would have been queen if her country hadn't been annexed by Italy during world war 2.”

“Oh Kylo. I can't keep this. It's too valuable. I don't think I should even wear it.” Kylo cut off any further objections by pressing his lips to hers. 

“Come on,” he said, breaking away from her and grabbing her hand. “We better not be late.” 

The rest of the evening just proved how out of her league Kylo was. He was wealthy, sophisticated and well-connected—everything Rey was not. She felt like she was under a microscope the entire time. 

She felt small and ignorant whenever any of Kylo's acquaintance attempted a conversation with her. 

At one point she felt so sick to her stomach she had to run to the ladies room. 

After rinsing out her mouth, Rey sat down on a sofa in the powder room—because this venue was so fancy that of course there was a sofa in the bathroom—and cried. 

She'd known this would happen. This whole thing had been too good to be true. She loved Kylo and she had believed he felt the same. 

But as much as Rey hated Snoke, she knew he had a point. She would never be able to be the person Kylo needed her to be. This evening showed her that. They had a wonderful summer, but she simply didn't fit into his world. 

It broke her heart, but she knew what she had to do. 

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

The next day, while Kylo was at the office, Rey placed the necklace next to the note she left on his desk. He had given it to her, but there was no way she could keep such a valuable heirloom. 

She tried to keep the tears at bay, but they fell anyway. 

Then she picked up the bag that contained all her worldly possessions and walked out of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm sorry. Don't hate me. :-(
> 
> You can see what the royal crest of Naboo looks like [here.](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Naboo_emblem)


	4. Takodana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey finally arrives in Takodana and meets some new people. She also gets some life changing news.

  
Rey had decided to go to Takodana. Perhaps this Maz Kanata would still help her, even though she was a few months late. It nearly depleted her savings to get back across the country, but she'd made it. 

The address on the info Amilyn had given her led her to a diner in downtown Takodana. It was on the bottom floor of a multi-level building and was called “Maz's Cantina” so she supposed it was the right place. It just didn't seem to go with the type of program Maz was running. 

There was a dark skinned young man behind the counter who smiled cheerfully when she came in. 

“Hi,” Rey said. “I'm looking for a Maz Kanata? I was referred by Amilyn Holdo.” 

“Ah,” the young man said. “Maz is my grandma. I'm Finn, by the way.” 

“Nice to meet you Finn. I'm Rey.” The smell of grease and bacon wafted out from the kitchen and suddenly Rey's stomach lurched. 

“Are you ok?” Finn asked, looking at her with a concerned expression.

“Bathroom?” was all Rey could choke out. Finn pointed her the right direction and she ran off and made it to the bathroom just in time to empty the contents of her stomach. And as quickly as it had come upon her, it was gone. 

She rinsed out her mouth and splashed some water on her face as she looked in the mirror. 

“Nice going, Rey. Way to make a great first impression.” 

************************************************************************************************************************************************

A very short, older woman was waiting for her when she came out.

“Are you ok, child?” the woman asked. “My grandson said he thought you looked unwell.” 

“Oh, I'm fine.” Rey brushed off her concern. “I just got done travelling across the country. I'm sure it's just catching up with me. I'll be great once I adjust to the time change. Are you Maz?” 

“I am,” the woman replied. “Why don't we sit down?” Maz gestured to a booth by the window and waved Finn over. “Are you hungry? You look like you've had a long journey. Why don't you order anything you want, on the house.” 

“Oh, um, that's very generous of you, but--” 

“Tut!” Maz raising a finger at her. “Don't tell me you're about to insult me by taking away my chance of showing a kindness to someone?” Rey bit her lip. She was hungry, especially after losing her last meal to the bathroom. And she was hardly one to turn down a free meal. 

“OK, I'll have the ham and cheese sandwich with a side of fruit and a ginger ale.” 

“Good choice,” Maz said, nodding at Finn, who walked off to the kitchen. “Now, tell me a bit about yourself. I promise I won't judge, but I need to know what I can do to help you. A job, a place to live, medical attention, schooling, legal advice.” 

“Um, all of that, I guess? I don't have any family. I was in a bad foster home and got into a bit of trouble when I was seventeen and spent the rest of my seventeenth year in juvie. Before all that I was in a dual enrollment program at school, so I've got about a year's worth of college credits. I've only just arrived in Takodana, so I don't have a job or a place to stay, really. I don't even have a car. I did have a motorbike to ride when I was at Plutt's.” Maz nodded as she spoke, occasionally writing something in a notebook. 

“Any special skills or interests? Anything that might help you in a job?” 

“I'm good with cars. Plutt owned a mechanic shop and salvage yard, and I learned how to work on them. I'm a very good mechanic, actually.” At this point, another voice chimed in, right behind Rey. 

“You know, Han was considering looking for another mechanic. Or at least Leia thinks he should be. Doc told him he needs to start cutting back on the physical labor.” Rey looked to where the voice was coming from and saw a pretty young Asian woman resting her chin on the back of the booth, just over Rey's shoulder. 

“Rose Tico!” Maz chided. “I've told you about eavesdropping!” 

“Oh, you love me anyway,” the girl drawled. “And besides, I've just made your job easier.” She turned to Rey. “I'm Rose, Rose Tico. I'm a mechanic too.” 

“I'm Rey Niima,” Rey replied. Her lips twitching with amusement. 

“And hey, you can stay with me and my sister until you find something better,” Rose added. “We're always looking for more party friends.” Maz snorted. 

“Don't think I don't know what nonsense you girls get up to,” she said. 

“The boys too,” Rose replied shamelessly. Maz sighed indulgently. 

“Well, I suppose I'll be talking to Han,” she said. “Are you interested in rooming with Rose and Paige? They can be quite boisterous.” 

“Oh, I'm sure it will be fine,” Rey said. “Whatever's easiest to set up. I'm not picky.” 

“Great!” Rose chimed in. “I'm sure we'll all get along just fine!”

************************************************************************************************************************************************

Rey laid on the exam table and waited impatiently for the doctor to show up. Maz had recommended she get a checkup at a free clinic she had referred her to. She figured it couldn't hurt, since she couldn't remember the last time she'd had a regular check up. Plutt hardly bothered with keeping her fed, much less getting her medical care. 

She tried lying on her back, but it make her sick to her stomach, so she rolled to her side. 

At last a middle-aged woman in a lab coat walked in with a clip board. 

“Hello, Miss Niima,” she said with a smile. “I'm Dr. Kalonia. How are you feeling today?” 

“A little sick, actually,” Rey replied. “But it comes and goes. Like earlier, I was feeling fine. But now I'm feeling ill again.” Dr. Kalonia gave an understanding nod. 

“Have you had any headaches? Feeling very fatigued?” 

“I—I suppose I have been tired. But my job is physically demanding, so that's nothing new to me.” 

“Oh? What is your job?” 

“I'm a mechanic. I just started working for Han Solo.” 

“Ah, well that might be a cause for concern,” Dr. Kalonia said with a frown. “We'll have to make some modifications to your work schedule and duties.” 

“What?” Rey exclaimed. “Why? I've been working on cars since I was 12! I'm not fragile.” 

“I understand that,” Dr. Kalonia replied. “But right now you have to think of your baby.” 

“What?” Rey choked out. “What do you mean?” 

“Miss Niima—you're pregnant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come, I know you guys saw that coming, right? 😀


	5. A New Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey settles into her new life.

Rey had been terrified that Han would be disappointed in her newly discovered condition and she felt terrible. He was surprised when she told him the news, but he took in stride, asking few questions and offering to do most of her work in the office, greeting customers and doing paperwork. Overall she considered herself very fortunate in her employer. Plutt certainly never would have been so accommodating. 

Han even took Rey home to meet his wife, Leia. Rey thought their home was simply gorgeous. It wasn't the grand estate that Kylo's grandfather had, but it was a beautiful, larger-than-average home with a perfectly manicured lawn that overlooked a lake. 

“We're home Princess!” Han called out when they got in the front door. 

Leia Organa-Solo was the mayor of Chandrila, which was the next city over from Takodana. The woman exuded grace and elegance without ever saying a word. She was certainly not the kind of woman Rey would have expected the roguishly charming Han to be married to. 

“You must be Rey!” she exclaimed, coming over and embracing her, which Rey had not been expecting. “Han's told me all about you, of course. And so has Maz. All good things of course. And aren't you just lovely?” Leia placed each of her hands on Rey's cheeks. 

“Oh, thank you,” Rey replied awkwardly, not quite knowing what to make of all this affection.” 

“Poe's out in the game room watching some game or other,” Leia told Han. “Dinner's almost ready, so why don't you call him in here?” Leia continued talking as Rey followed her to the kitchen. “Poe's sort of my right-hand-man. He works as campaign manager, damage control, publicity—things like that. I should warn you, though. He has quite a reputation with the ladies.” This last part Leia whispered somewhat conspiritorily. Rey smiled in amusement. 

“I'll be sure to be on my guard,” she replied. 

“Really, though, he's a wonderful young man. I've known his parents for years. He and my s—” Leia stopped. “Anyway, we've all been very good friends.” 

Han returned at that moment with a handsome young man with dark hair and brown eyes. If Leia exuded elegance, this guy exuded charm. He had a big, toothy grin which he now directed at Rey. 

“Hey, you must the one my buddy Finn's been telling me about,” he said. “He said you were cute, but I don't think he quite did you justice.” 

“Oh. Um...” Rey shifted awkwardly. 

“Enough flirting, Poe,” Leia said, handing him a basket of rolls. “And take this to the table.” 

“Aye aye, general,” Poe said with a mock-salute

They all got seated at the table and started eating. 

“So, you going to the Kessel Run next weekend, old man?” Poe said with a snicker. “Or have you finally decided to hang it up?” 

“Not only am I gonna be there,” Han said, “But I'm gonna win.” Poe laughed. 

“Sure ya' are, old man, sure ya' are.” 

“What's the Kessel Run?” Rey asked. 

“It's drag racing,” Leia said with a frown. 

“Oh. That sounds—fun?” 

“Oh yeah,” Poe said. “It gives you an adrenaline rush like you wouldn't believe. You should come check it out sometime. I know Finn and Rose with be there. Probably some other people. I could even give you a ride there, if you want.” 

“I'll think about it,” she said finally. 

“Now that I got the Falcon back, I can finally start restoring it,” Han said. “Being in that scumbag Plutt's possession certainly didn't do it any favors.” Rey dropped her glass onto the table. 

“Oh!” she exclaimed. The glass didn't break, but the contents did spill onto the table cloth. She quickly stood up and started trying to dab up the mess with a napkin. “I am so sorry.” 

“Rey,” Leia said, placing a hand on her arm. “It's alright. Don't worry about it.” 

“The Falcon?” Rey said finally. 

“Yeah, I've got a '77 Millenium Falcon,” Han explained. “I got it when it was brand-new—it was my pride and joy. But it got lifted by a gang of car thieves and ended up in Plutt's possession. Finally got it back not too long ago.” 

“Do you—do you know how they came to find it?” Rey asked nervously. She would positively die and Han and Leia somehow knew she had been a car thief. She wanted these people to like her. And if the story somehow got back to them...

“Appearantly Plutt had a whistle blower working for him,” Han replied with a shrug. “Finally pissed off the wrong person, I guess. Never got all the details. They said it was classified. I understand there was a minor involved, though. But at least I got the Falcon back and Plutt and his goons are behind bars, so that's all I really care about.” Leia gave Rey a contemplative look while Poe and Han got back to talking about racing, and Rey felt like a bug under a microscope. She had a feeling there wasn't much that got past Leia. 

Over the next several months, Rey felt a belonging she'd never felt before. For the first time in her life she had real friends. She became especially close to Finn and Rose. She got along with Paige, too, though it wasn't the same. 

Poe Dameron was another regular in their group. He was a notorious flirt, but since Rey was new, he seemed to take a special interest in her. 

Rey also became quite attached to Leia and eventually started spending some of her weekends at their house, sometimes working on the Falcon with Han, or simply spending time with Leia. 

As Rey got closer to her due date, Leia decided Rey should move in with them. Rey was reluctant to accept such a generous gesture, but Rose and Paige were two single, childess women and it seemed unfair to subject them to life with a newborn in their small apartment. And at Han and Leia's house, she would have her own room where a crying baby wouldn't disturb anyone but her. She still didn't have a car, and this way she could simply ride to work with Han, instead of riding her bike, which was getting more difficult with her growing belly. 

Leia seemed thrilled at the prospect of a baby, lamenting the fact that she would probably never have grandchildren, and if she did, she'd likely never meet them. 

It seemed Han and Leia had one son, named Ben, whom they had not heard from in almost 10 years. She quickly learned it was a sore subject with them and so she forbore asking many questions. However, she could not help feeling somewhat indignant on their behalf that a son could so callously reject such wonderful parents and cut them out of his life completely. 

How unfair it was that Ben Solo had grown up with loving parents, and could discard them like that, while she, who desperately wanted a family, was forced to grow up without one. Rey couldn't help but pretend she was their daughter, and she hoped their real son never returned to take them back from her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think? Will Han and Leia's real son come back? 😉


	6. Discovery of Deception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years after Rey left, Kylo tries to move on with his life, then makes a discovery that changes things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a bit of a time jump here. Approximately 2 years after Rey left Kylo.

Kylo stared at his reflection in the mirror as he adjusted the bow-tie on his tux. For his engagement party. To Snoke's granddaughter, Bazine Netal. 

Was he really doing this?  
Of course, Bazine was exactly the kind of woman he was expected to marry. Beautiful, elegant, all the right connections. Cold, shallow. 

Maybe she was the perfect wife for him, he thought bitterly. She wouldn't care if he was an emotionless shell. She wasn't much better, after all. 

He hadn't even had to propose. Snoke arranged the whole thing. Kylo had only given his half-hearted assent. It wasn't like he was holding out for true love, anyway. He'd already had that and lost it. 

It had been a little over 2 years since Rey had walked out of his life and shattered his heart. 

He still didn't really understand what went wrong. And she didn't even say goodbye. At least not in person. She'd left a note. A note handed to him by Snoke. 

Kylo had been planning to propose that night. He was going to give her his grandmother's ring. The idea of giving it to Bazine made his stomach churn. He'd given her some multi-carat, generic diamond from Tiffany's to wear. 

He had even given Rey one of his grandmother's royal necklaces from Naboo, back when he thought they'd be together forever. How naive of him. Naive was not a word that could typically be used to describe Kylo Ren, but Rey had pulled out the Ben Solo in him. She'd made him weak and foolish. 

He couldn't even hate her for what she'd done. Not really. He'd sensed something off about her that night before she left. She'd seemed distracted and...sad? She'd even looked rather pale at the time, as if she were feeling ill. 

He knew she hadn't had much growing up and he wanted to show her that he could offer her everything she could ever. The opera was just a small taste of the life they could have together. 

But appearantly she didn't feel the same. 

Kylo broke out of his reverie to look at his reflection. He was surprised to see that his eyes were red. From sadness or rage, he wasn't sure. 

So he steeled himself and went to go meet his fiance.  
*************************************************************************************************************************************************

The limo stopped in front of Snoke's house and Bazine got in the back where Kylo was sitting. 

“My grandfather said he'll be along soon in his own car,” Bazine told him with a smirk. “Guess he wanted to give us some time alone.” 

“Hmm.” Was Kylo's only reply. He sat stiffly with his arms crossed, staring straight ahead. After a few unsuccessful attempts at conversation, Bazine tried another tactic. She grabbed his leg, right above his knee. Kylo's eyes darted down to where her hand was and he glared at it. 

“It's obvious you're not interested in using your words,” Bazine purred, moving her hand up his thigh. “Maybe we need to have a different type of conversation.” Kylo grabbed her wrist to keep her hand from going any further. 

“What are you doing, Bazine?” He released her wrist, after placing her hand in her lap. 

“Helping you loosen up,” she said, and before he could respond, she was straddling his lap and kissing him. His hands, which had reflexively grabbed her waist, moved to her upper arms, where he gripped to push her gently back. 

“Bazine--” he stopped. Her neck was directly in his line of sight, and around her neck was his grandmother's necklace. He recognized it immediately. 

The necklace was made of diamonds and in the center was a pendant with the royal crest of Naboo. This necklace would easily be worth thousands of dollars, both for the value of the stones and the historical value. 

This was the necklace he had given Rey. 

“Where did you get that necklace, Bazine?” He asked her, trying to control his growing temper and reeling thoughts. 

“Oh, do you like it?” she asked. “I got it from the family vault.” 

“You have access to the family vault?” That didn't sound like Snoke. He was clever and manipulative. He wouldn't let anyone, even his own daughter, have free access to his treasures. 

“Of course not,” Bazine scoffed. “But, he did give me permission to go pick out something from the family jewels to wear tonight, since it's such a special occasion. Most of my mother's jewelry is in there. I don't think this was hers, though. It didn't look familiar. It's part of why I liked it so much. So unique. Just like you.” She tried to kiss him again. He grabbed her by the waist and manuevered her into the seat next to him. 

“Could you please stop? I'm not in the mood.” 

“Are you always going to be this prudish?” Bazine demanded with a scoff. He glared at her but didn't reply. 

Snoke had explicitly told him Rey had taken the necklace with her, and had used that to fortify his assertion that Rey was simply a gold digger and a criminal. It was also part of the reason he'd never gone after her. He'd been so hurt and angry when she left, that he'd allowed Snoke's accusations to take root in his mind. It made the sting a little less too. If she was a cold-hearted thief, her rejection of him wasn't personal. 

It sickened him now, that he even entertained such vile thoughts about Rey. Deep down, he'd never really believed her capable of it. 

Snoke had attempted multiple times before Rey left to convince Kylo to end his relationship with her. One conversation he suggested that Kylo simply “get what he needed,” then get rid of her, but that she was certainly not marriage material. Kylo had been so furious at this suggestion that he was hard-pressed to keep from punching Snoke in the face. Snoke typically encouraged Kylo's angry outbursts, but then, they weren't usually directed at him. He was also unaccustomed to Kylo standing up to him. But it Kylo had made it clear in no uncertain terms that Snoke had no control over his personal life. How ironic, then, that Snoke was the one who arranged his current engagement. 

But, what if, failing to influence Kylo, Snoke had started working on Rey? It would have been easy to play on her insecurities. Kylo didn't care about the disparities between their lifestyles, but Rey likely did. 

What if Rey was simply another victim of Snoke's mind games? 

Well this changes things he thought grimly. This changes everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think? Is he going to go through with it?


	7. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo reflects on his relationship with Bazine and finds out stuff about Snoke.

“Ugh. Why do they let little brats like that in here?” Bazine scoffed indignantly. She and Kylo were out to lunch at an upscale restaurant in downtown Coruscant and a toddler at a nearby table was shrieking while his mother frantically tried to shush him. 

“Maybe you'll feel differently when it's your kid,” Kylo said dryly. 

“Ew. I am not having kids. Disgusting little things. Slimy, dirty, full of germs.” 

“You—don't want kids?” Kylo asked her frowning. 

“Nope.” 

“Like, ever?” 

“No way. Look at my body. I have spent too much time and money on it to waste on a kid. Why do you care anyway? Weren't your parents psycho or something?” Kylo chewed on the inside of his cheek as he was wont to do when he was nervous or frustrated. 

“They weren't psycho,” he said slowly. “They were absent. But I'd like to think I'd do better than that. I think—I'd like to have a kid. Someday.” 

“Then have one,” Bazine replied, with a wave of her hand. “But not with me.” When Kylo frowned she went on. “Look, we can just hire a surrogate or something and then once the kid is born we can get it a nanny. I'll even let you do it the old fashioned way if the woman is into it.” 

“What?” 

“We're having an open marriage anyway, right? You have your fun, I have mine.” 

“Why would I go along with that?” 

“Why wouldn't you? You don't really think you could just be happy with one person forever, do you? It'll make us better.” 

“I think I could be happy with one person,” Kylo said softly, more to himself than to Bazine. He was staring down at his drink. He inhaled sharply. “And you know what, Bazine? I really don't think you're that person.” 

“What are you saying Kylo?” she demanded. Kylo pulled a couple fifties out of his wallet and put them on the table and stood up. 

“I'm saying, Bazine, that I don't think this is going to work. The engagement is off.” Kylo walked away without looking back. 

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

“So, I've looked into those—subjects you requested,” said Gwen Phasma, holding a pair of folders. Phasma was a private investigator that had been a friend of Kylo's since college. 

She slid one of the folders over to Kylo. 

“The girl you wanted me to find. Rey Niima. She's living in Takodana, working as a mechanic. Nothing spectacular going on here. She seems to keep a fairly low profile. But—and you're gonna love this—she appears to be living in the home of your parents, Han Solo and Leia Organa-Solo.” 

“You have got to be kidding me!” Kylo exlaimed. “Of all the places she could have gone she had to end up with my parents. Let me guess—she's working for my father?” 

“You would be correct,” Phasma replied. “Solo's mechanic shop and body repair.” Kylo's hands trembled as he stared down of the folder. 

“Any boyfriends?” Kylo asked in a low voice. “Is she—married or anything?” 

“Not that I was able to ascertain,” Phasma replied. “There are a few photos here of her with some friends, but as far as I can tell, no one in particular. I didn't really dig too deeply on this because your instructions were to locate the girl, which I did, and the—other thing you asked about required a lot more extensive research.” She slid the other file over to him. “This is serious stuff, Kylo, and you need to tread carefully.” Kylo's brows furrowed as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. 

“It seems our friend Snoke has been embezzling from your grandfather's company for years. The money's been sent to off-shore bank accounts and funneled into a shell company called First Order Consulting.” 

“How did you get these?” Kylo asked waving a stack of bank statements. 

“My associate, DJ, is rather gifted at aquiring such things,” Phasma replied cryptically. “As well as many other electronically based information, which is typically not easy to access.” 

“You mean he's a hacker,” Kylo scoffed. 

“Call it what you will. He can go where the feds won't. Or can't. At least not without due cause.” 

“Great. So now that we know what Snoke is doing, what can we do about it?” 

“Well, it seems there is actually already an investigation open on Snoke. My suggestion would be to make sure this information gets into the right hands.” 

“And which hands would those be?” 

“The man who's leading the case. An old friend of yours. Or at least, of your father's.” 

“Don't say it.” 

“Lando Calrissian.” 

“Whatever,” Kylo said. “Send him whatever you need to. I'm going on a trip.” 

“Let me guess. To Takodana?” 

“Yeah.” 

“In light of what we've learned about Snoke recently, are you still planning to go by Kylo? I mean, he's the one that got you to use that name right?” 

“Yes,” Kylo said, running his hands through his hair. “I'm really starting to hate this name. It just reminds me how much of my life I've wasted listening to this man. I just—I wanted to separate myself from my parents. Learn about the things they kept hidden from me. Like my real grandfather. I didn't understand why my mother refused to have anything to do with him. I wanted to give her a taste of her own medicine. See what it was like to be rejected by your own kid.

“Snoke encouraged such sentiments. He told me I needed a new name so I could be my own person. He chose this name for me. Turns out I was just his puppet all along.” 

“But you didn't legally change it, did you. It's just your DOA and a social name right?” 

“No, I never changed it legally. As far as the government's concerned, I'm still Ben Solo. Maybe that was just me holding on to the last sliver of my old life. But the world knows me as Kylo Ren now.” 

“So? Just go back to being Ben Solo. Get a new start. And go get your girl.”


	8. At Maz' Cantina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben arrives in Takodana. Ben and Rey barely miss seeing each other at Maz.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From now on, Kylo will be referred to as Ben.

Ben Solo arrived in Takodana on a cold November day, a bundle of nerves. And was he really going to go back to being Ben Solo? Just like that? Well, he certainly didn't want to be Kylo Ren anymore, so Ben Solo it was. 

It was 11:48 when he stood in front of Maz's Cantina, gathering the courage to go in. There was a huge potential for awkwardness, but there was no doubt Maz made the best philly cheesesteak in Takodana. That much he remembered from living here. He took a deep breath and went inside. 

“Ben Solo!” A loud, booming voice that seemed too large for the woman it came from, shouted about a minute after he managed to order his sandwich to go. 

“Hello Maz,” Ben said sheepishly. Maz was small in stature but not in presence. Though he was almost two feet taller than her, she managed to make him feel very small. Still, it was no less than he expected.

“Don't you “hello” me, young man,” Maz said, poking him in the chest. “Do you have any idea what you've put your poor mother through? Just disappeared all these years with never a phone call to let her know you were alive?” 

“It's not like she couldn't have found me if she wanted to,” Ben replied peevishly. “All her fancy government connections. It couldn't have been that hard.” 

“That is not the point! She wanted to hear from you Benjamin. And you broke her poor heart.” His order was called out and he went to the counter to collect it. 

“It's been really great seeing you Maz,” he said, turning to walk toward the door. But who should walk in but Poe Dameron? Great. 

“Well if it isn't the prodigal son!” Poe exclaimed boisterously. “What brings you back to our humble town?” 

“Dameron,” Ben gumbled. “Shouldn't you be in Chandrila? Aren't you, like, my mom's lackey still?” 

“Tsk, tsk,” Poe said with a smirk. “Anyway, I'm over here on business for your mom. And I happen to be meeting my girl for lunch. Not that it's any of your business.” 

“I really don't care about your flavor of the week, Poe.” 

“Hey, it's not like that. She's different from other girls. She actually has a kid. And, you know. Kids need a dad.” 

“Someone should have given Han that memo,” Ben scoffed. 

“Hey you should stick around,” Poe said. “Have lunch with us.” 

“No thanks,” Ben said. “I've got somewhere else to be.” 

“Oh yeah? Where's that?” 

“Anywhere but here.” 

*************************************************************************************************************************************************

It was 12:13 when Rey arrived at Maz's to meet Poe for lunch. 

“Sorry I'm late,” she said, sliding in the booth across from him. “I had to get Kyle settled down in the office with Han.” 

“Ah, is the poor little guy still sick?” Poe asked. 

“He's doing better,” Rey said. “And today's Friday. He should definitely be ready to go back to day care on Monday.”

“Well, that's a relief,” Poe said. Finn came over to take their order. 

“Oh, did Poe tell you who just showed up?” Finn asked, before walking away to put their order in. “He just left like 10 minutes before you got here.” Rey looked at Poe questioningly. 

“Oh, yeah,” Poe said. “Ben Solo. Can you believe it? After 10 years he just comes waltzing back into town like it's nothing. I don't know what he's doing here, but it's bound to just stir up trouble for Han and Leia.” 

“Ben Solo?” Rey repeated. “He's...back?” What did that mean for her? Was he just going to show up and be his parents' son again? Was he going to hurt them again? Rey didn't know which was worse. 

Surely, whatever the case, Leia wouldn't ask her to move out. After all, she had her son, and he was like a grandson to Han and Leia. They just doted on him. But, what if Ben Solo had kids? Then Han and Leia would have real grandchildren to love. 

“Hey, hey, hey,” Poe said, grabbing her hand across the table as Finn walked off. “I can see those wheels turning in your head. If you're worried about Han and Leia, don't. They love you. There's more to being a family than just blood. You and I, we've been more of a son and daughter to them than their own kid ever was. I don't know what he wants here, but I doubt he's planning to stick around very long.” 

“Thanks Poe,” Rey said. “But what was it you wanted to talk to me about?” 

“Ok, well, you know I care about you a lot, right?” 

“I care about you too, Poe” Rey said, blushing. “We're good friends.” 

“Right, right,” Poe said. “Here's the thing though. I think we could be really good together. Like, together, together.” 

“Oh, Poe, I don't know,” Rey said, biting her lip. “I mean, I've got Kyle.” 

“Exactly,” Poe said. “You wouldn't have to raise him alone. And you know Leia would love to see us together.” Rey did know that. Leia hadn't exactly been subtle in her attempts to get them to spend time together. And Poe was certainly handsome. And he had a stable job. He was a good guy. She could certainly do worse. But the thought of dating anyone just hadn't appealed to her. Not since him. 

“When you say together,” Rey said slowly. “You're not talking about—marriage, are you? Because I really don't think I'm ready for that.” 

“This is not a marriage proposal, if that's what you're asking,” Poe assured her. “I'm just asking you to give it a chance. Not saying we'd never get there. But, for now, I just want to take you out on a date. Like, tonight. Leia's already agreed to watch Kyle. Let's just try it out and see where it goes.” 

“Ok,” Rey finally agreed. “One date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They just barely missed each other!


	9. Bombshell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben sees his father for the first time in ten years and learns some life-changing news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's what some of you have been waiting for...

After he left, Maz's, Ben drove around a bit and parked near his dad's mechanic shop to eat his sandwich. He took his time, trying to gather the courage he knew he'd need to face not just Rey, but his father as well. 

He took a deep breath and got out of the car. 

Ben walked into his father's mechanic shop. A quick look around told him Rey wasn't there. He could see Han through the window of his office, sitting at his desk. 

Ben took a deep breath and opened the door to his father's office. 

Han looked up and when he saw Ben, his eyes grew wide with shock. 

“Ben?” Han said. Ben tried to reign in his agitation before demanding information from his father. His eyes darted around the room and landed on a small child in a pack and play to the right of Han's desk. 

The child had black curly hair, ears slightly on the large side for his size and hazel eyes looking at him solemnly. 

Ben was disconcerted. He couldn't let his temper loose in front of a toddler. And why did Han have a kid in his office anyway? Ben knew his mom had been young when she'd had him, and it wasn't unheard of for women in their late 40's or even early 50's to have babies. But there was no way his mom would do that. She thought Ben was a mistake, he's sure of it. 

Still, the resemblance this kid had to him was unnerving. 

“What's with the kid?” Ben finally asked. 

“Oh you mean little Kyle?” Han replied. “Ah, he's the kid of one my mechanics. Cute kid. Reminds me of you at that age. He's normally in day care, but he's been sick the last couple of days, so I told Rey she could set him up in here while she works. He about climbed out of there yesterday, though.” 

Ben's head started to spin. That was Rey's kid? 

“H-how old?” Ben managed to choke out, grasping the back of the chair across the desk from his father. He felt like he was going to pass out. 

“Ah, I think he'll be 2 end of next May?” Han replied. Ben's head was spinning as he did the mental math. That meant this kid had to be conceived in Sepetmber, a few weeks before Rey walked out of his life. Suddenly the resemblance made sense.   
How could she keep something like this from him? 

“You okay, son?” Han asked. Kylo ran his hands through his hair frantically. No he wasn't okay. He had to get out of here to think. No, he had to stay here and see Rey. No, he had to call Phasma and ask how she had missed this. He had to—

The office door opened behind him and Ben heard the voice that, a few weeks ago, he never thought he'd hear again. 

“Maz says next time you better come yourself, or else—” Rey stopped talking with a gasp when she saw Ben's face. 

“Rey!” Han exclaimed, oblivious. “This is my son, Ben. Looks like he finally came home.” 

“Kylo?” Rey said with a shaky voice. “What are you doing he—wait a second. You're Ben Solo?!” 

“Yeah, well if you had just stayed you would know that by now,” Ben said with some asperity. “Why did you leave?” Rey just stared at him, shaking her head as her eyes filled with tears. “Speaking of secrets, it looks like you've kept a pretty big one yourself.” He jerked his head toward the kid. “Were you ever going to tell me? How could you keep something like this from me?” 

“I have to get to work,” Rey said in a choked up voice. She placed the bag of food she'd brought from Maz's on Han's desk and hurried out of the room. 

“So, I'm guessing you two have met before,” Han said finally. “You want to tell me what's going on here?” 

“Stay out of this, Dad,” Ben said, barely glancing toward him as he watched Rey run out into the shop. 

“Hey now,” Han said irritably. “I think I deserve some sort of explanation as to why you show up here after a decade and get my top mechanic all upset.” 

“Fine!” Ben, said, turning to his father. “You wanna know what's going on? You want to know why I'm here? I didn't come here for some grand family reunion. I came because I found out Rey was working for you and I came to find her. Yes, we met. We were together until she left at the end of September two years ago. And that kid,” He pointed at the pack and play, “was born about eight months later. You do the freaking math on that one, Dad. I'm about 95% percent sure—no, you know what, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that that kid is mine. So you tell me who is butting into whose business here!” Han's eyebrows went up during the second half of this speech. 

“So you're telling me that you're the father of Rey's kid? I guess that explains the resemblance.” Ben rolled his eyes. “But how did she not know your name is Ben?” 

“I've been going by a different name for years,” Ben said with a huff. “Just one of the many stupid decisions I've made.” 

“I don't care what you've done,” Han said. “And I don't care what brought you back. I'm just glad to see you, Son. You got a place to stay?” 

“Not really,” Ben said. “I just got into town. I'm sure I can find a hotel.” 

“Why don't you come home?” Han suggested. “Your mom would be thrilled to have you back. She left your old room just the way it was.” Ben scoffed at the thought. But then he remembered Rey was also living there, so maybe it was the way to spend more time with her. And his kid. Because appearantly he had one. If Rey wasn't ready to talk, then at least he could get to know his son. Surely Rey wouldn't deny him that much, right? 

“Ok, sure, fine,” Ben said. “Sounds perfect.” 

“Your mom should be home around 5:45. Rey and I will get there not too much later than that. You should get there before us and explain things to your mom.” 

“Sure Dad,” Ben mumbled. “Sounds great.”


	10. Ben Comes Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben comes home and has a conversation with his mother. And finds out about Rey's date.

Ben was waiting in the driveway when his mom pulled up. He got out of the car and waited for her to get out.

The expression on her face was one of shock combined with pleasure.

“Oh Ben!” she exclaimed with tears in her eyes. She came over to him and put her arms around his waist. “I can't believe you've finally come home.”

“Yeah, well, it's probably not for long,” he replied awkwardly as she stepped back. Only as long as it took to convince Rey to come back to Coruscant with him and their son, he thought to himself.

“Oh, but you'll stay for Thanksgiving, won't you?” she asked as she opened the front door. “And of course Rey is living with us now. She's such a lovely young woman. I'm sure you'll love her.”

“I always have,” Ben muttered, too low for Leia to hear. Then he spoke louder. “So, um, did Dad really not warn you I was coming?”

“Oh, well he did give me a quick call to let me know you were in town and wanting to stay with us,” she replied. “I honestly wasn't sure what to make of that. I didn't think it could possibly be true. But I'm glad I was wrong.”

“And that's all he told you?”

“Well, that was plenty to talk about right there! He did mention you'd have more to say when you got here. But Rey's going on a date tonight, so it'll be the perfect time for the three of us to catch up!” 

“What do you mean, she's got a date?!” Ben exclaimed. Leia seemed surprised by his outburst. 

“The poor girl has been single for as long as I've known her,” Leia said. “Between work and being a mother, she always claims she doesn't have time for dating. Personally, I think she's too scared to be in a relationship after things with the baby's father went badly. She's had a rough life and she's afraid of being hurt. But it's been long enough. She needs to move on.” Ben was chewing on the the inside of his cheek during this speech, seething at his mother's meddling. 

“Well maybe you should let her decide that!” he said, a little too angrily. “Maybe she still loves the other guy!” 

“That's what I'm afraid of,” Leia said. “If he was interested, he's had two years to come find her. I don't think he's coming back at this point. I'd try to find him myself, but she never would tell me his name.” 

“Well maybe you don't have the whole story. Maybe he didn't—doesn't know he has a kid.” 

“I don't think he does,” Leia said sadly. “Rey seemed to think it was better that way. Not that she was trying to hide his son from him, but—I get the impression she thought a baby—and even her, for that matter—would be a burden to him. That girl has some serious self-worth issues. She seems to live in constant fear that everything will be taken from her. As if she doesn't deserve anything good that's happened to her. It's sad, really, because she's such a beautiful, selfless creature.” 

Ben leaned his elbows on the counter and buried his face in his hands. His mother had always been incredibly astute. And she had eloquently summarized what he could never quite figure out about Rey. And possibly why she'd left. 

The front door opened and Han came in carrying Kyle. But Rey was not with them. 

“Oh there's my baby!” Leia exclaimed, running over to take the baby from Han. “How's my precious little boy?” 

“Where's Rey?” Ben demanded. Han looked at him apologetically. 

“She went home with Rose to get ready for a date,” Han said. “She's gonna have Poe pick her up there.” Leia set the baby down and he happily ran toward his toys. 

“Whoa, whoa,” Ben said angrily. “Do you mean to tell me she's going on a date with _Poe Dameron_?! Nope, nope, not happening. Over my dead body.” He started looking for his coat as he remembered the conversation he'd had with Poe earlier that day. How he'd talked about “his girl's” baby needing a dad. Well, he wasn't going to be _his_ kid's dad. No way. 

“What is wrong with you?” Leia demanded angrily. “Why are you acting like this about a girl you don't even know? You really hate Poe _that_ much? That you can't stand for him to be happy?” Ben glared at his mother. 

“Um, Leia,” Han started, “I think there's something Ben hasn't told you yet.” 

“Oh? And what's that?” Ben made no move to reply, scowling at the floor with his arms crossed. So Han continued. 

“Well, you know how you always say you feel like Kyle is probably the closest thing to a grandkid you'll ever have?”

“Yes...” Leia said slowly with a sideways glance at Ben, as if gauging his reaction to this comment. And he probably would be offended, if the situation weren't so ludicrous. 

“Well, it turns out he actually _is_ your grandson,” Han finished. Leia gave a slight gasp and looked at Ben full in the face this time. 

“Ben?” she said. “Is that true? Are you this child's father?” 

“The poor kid has my ears,” Ben mumbled. “He looks just like me. Except with Rey's eyes.” 

“But how?” Leia asked. “And why wouldn't Rey tell us?” 

“Because she didn't know,” he responded in a low voice.   


“She didn't know you were the father?” 

“She didn't know I was Ben Solo.” 

“She knew you as Kylo Ren, didn't she?” Leia said with sudden realization. Ben looked at her with surprise. “Yes, I know where you've been the last 10 years. Though it seems I missed an important detail.”

“I met her two summers ago,” Ben said. “We traveled around together and I took her back to Coruscant to meet—my grandfather.” Leia scoffed and rolled her eyes and Ben frowned at her. “Anyway, she just up and left at the end of September. She left a note and no real explanation. I swear, I had _no_ idea she was pregnant!”

“I don't think she did either,” Han said. “At least, not until after she moved here and started working for me. I had her work primarily in the office after she found out and told me.”

“So you have no idea why she left?” Leia asked. Ben hesitated.

“I didn't at the time, but—I have my suspicions that Snoke might have said something to her. Played on her insecurities. He made no secret of the fact that he didn't think she was an appropriate candidate for me to marry. He convinced me she had taken off with Grandma Padme's necklace, which I had given her. I gave it to her, but obviously it was with the expectation that we would soon be married.”

“Rey would never—” Leia started.

“I know that!” Ben nearly shouted. “I recently saw his granddaughter Bazine wearing it. That's what made me realize Snoke had taken it and lied to me about it.”

“And that's the real reason you're back.” It wasn't a question.

“Yes,” Ben said. “I still love her, and now that I know I have a son—I don't think I could just walk away. I have to try and get her back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to those of you that wanted Rey to cancel her date. I feel Rey is still not ready to talk, so yeah she's gonna put it off. Not too long, though. Don't worry!


	11. Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ray goes on her date with Poe.

Rey stood looking at herself in Rose's mirror. She'd borrowed a green wrap dress from Paige and Rose had done her hair and make-up.

“You look gorgeous,” Rose said. “Poe is gonna be beside himself. This is so exciting!”

“Yeah,” Rey said, though she only felt dread. Why now? Why did Kylo, or Ben, or whatever his name was, have to walk back into her life now? Just when she was finally considering moving on.

“Are you ok?” Rose asked. “You seem—preoccupied.”

“Were you at Maz's for lunch today?” Rey asked suddenly.

“Oh yeah, that was interesting,” Rose said. “Ben Solo back after all these years. He looked so pissed when Poe started talking to him. But holy cow, is he a tall drink of water. If you weren't already going out with Poe, I would say—”

“He's Kyle's father!” Rey blurted out.

“He—what?” Rose asked. “Who's Kyle's father? Ben Solo?”

“He told me his name was Kylo Ren,” Rey said. “I met him not long after I—graduated. I thought we were gonna get married, but—”

“Oh Honey,” Rose said, putting her arms around her. “And he kicked you out when you told him you were pregnant? Is that it? He didn't want the kid? That jerk!”

“What? No!” Rey said. “I never told him. And I left before I knew I was pregnant. He didn't ask me to leave. I've always wondered if I made the right decision. I just—I always felt like he needed someone more elegant. Someone who likes big parties, and operas and shopping at fancy stores. Someone better for him.”

“Don't you think you should have asked what he wanted? It sounds like you made the decision for him, Sweetie.”

“I know. I know. And now I'm going on a date with Poe, and I think he wants us to be serious, but now—now I don't know if I can. And Kylo—Ben—knows about Kyle now, and I still don't know how he feels about it.”

“Okay,” Rose said. “Here's what you're gonna do. You're gonna go on this date with Poe, and you're gonna have a good time. Then if you don't feel that it's right, you let Poe know that you just want to be friends. Then this weekend, you're going to have nice talk with your baby daddy that's been a long time coming.”

“I just don't know what to say. To either of them.”

“The truth would be a good start,” Rose replied. “Look, Poe is crazy about you, but he deserves to know whether or not he has a fighting chance. But Solo also deserves some honesty from you. If you really left without an explanation, I really think you owe him one.”

“You're right,” Rey said. “I'll talk to him tomorrow.”

*****************************************************************************************************************************************

Poe walked Rey up to the door when he dropped her off that night. She had actually had a really good time, and if Kylo/Ben hadn't just walked back into her life, she would have been excited about the prospect of a second date.

She had told Poe about her previous relationship with Ben Solo, and he had taken it in stride, though he was clearly shocked.

“Thanks for coming out with me tonight,” Poe said when they were at the door. “It means a lot. That you're giving me a chance.”

“I had fun tonight, Poe,” Rey said. “I just—there's a lot going on with me right now.”

“Yeah, I know,” Poe said. “I'll admit this whole thing with Solo may make things a little more awkward. But, I still think we could make it work, if we both wanted it to.”

“I like you, Poe. I really do. But I just don't know what to do.”

“Well, can I at least kiss you goodnight?”

“Oh. Ok. I suppose that would be okay.” Rey said, stamping down the traitorous protest of her heart. Poe held her face between his hands, leaned forward, and—BANG !

The door was ripped open and there stood a very angry and formidable-looking Ben Solo. Poe and Rey reflexively jumped apart.

“Kylo!” Rey exclaimed, irritated. “Really?” Ben didn't respond to her and just continued glaring at Poe, who stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at Ben with raised eyebrows.

“So,” Poe said slowly. “Who talks first? You talk first? I talk first?”

“This date is over,” Ben told him coldly. “You can leave now.”

“Hey now,” Poe bristled. “Just because you share a kid doesn't mean you get to decide who she dates. Or marries, for that matter.” Ben flinched at the thought of Rey marrying Poe.

“Poe, I think you better leave,” Rey said, sensing that the situation would escalate quickly. “I'll see you soon, ok?”

“Sure, Rey,” Poe said, resigned. “Have a good night.” He turned to walk back to his car. Rey walked around Ben into the house and toward the stairs.

“Rey, I think we should talk,” Ben said.

“Not tonight,” Rey said, walking up the stairs while Ben followed her. “I need to check on the baby.”

“He's asleep,” Ben said. “We put him to bed around 8.”

“Great. Maybe I'll get some sleep tonight,” Rey said. “We'll talk tomorrow, Kylo. I promise.” She closed the door to her bedroom and looked into Kyle's crib.

Still sound asleep. She quickly changed into sleeping shorts and T-shirt and crawled into bed. She took out her phone and checked her text messages.

**Poe**: Rey, I want you to be careful. I know don't what Ben Solo is doing back in town, but I looked up the name Kylo Ren and I found this. I just don't want to see you get hurt.

There was a link at the end of the text. She clicked on it and it was the link to an article on a Coruscant news website.

The headline read: “One of Coruscant's Most Eligible Bachelors Officially Off the Market!” There was a photograph of Kylo with an elegant-looking young woman, which, according to the caption was taken at their engagement party about a month ago.

The woman's name was Bazine Netal, she had a degree in fashion merchandising and had worked as a model during college. Of course. She was exactly the type of woman Ben was supposed to marry. Everything Rey was not.

Well that was great. That was why she'd left. So he could live his life without her dragging him down. Find someone who deserved him. She _should_ be happy for him. Of _course_ she was happy for him.

She was over him. Completely over him.

So why did he have to come back into her life just to turn everything upside down and threaten to break her heart again?

She would _not_ cry herself to sleep over this man. She would _not_.

She turned her phone off and settled under the covers and finally fell into an uneasy sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, sorry, not really much on Rey's actual date with Poe, but that's not what anyone's here for anyway. 😉


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey have an important conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the conversation you've been waiting for...

  
Ben woke up in his old bedroom for the first time in almost 12 years. He pulled a T-shirt over his head and opened the door, allowing the aroma of pancakes and cooking bacon to come into the room.

Arriving in the kitchen to see his mom at the stove, he looked around to see if Rey was up yet.

“She's in the living room with Kyle,” Leia told him in a low voice. He nodded and walked that direction.

Rey was sitting on the couch with Kyle wrapped up in a blanket.

“Is that my cuddle bug?” she said to a giggling Kyle. “Can I give you kisses?” She kissed him on the cheek then offered her cheek to the baby. “Can you give Mommy kisses?” Kyle obliged by pressing his lips to her cheek with a grin.

Ben just stood off at a distance watching the scene with a tightening in his chest. Ben had known he still loved Rey, but seeing her hold their baby boy was doing things to him.

He'd known about his son less than 24 hours, and already he knew he'd do anything for this child.

And then he felt an edge of bitterness that didn't get to be there from the beginning. He didn't get to see her belly grow round with his child, wasn't there to hold her hand while she brought him into this world. He missed his first steps, first words, first birthday and his own son didn't even know who he was.

It didn't take Ben long to turn the blame inward. He should have gone after her as soon as she left. Should have demanded she tell him why, and then convinced her to stay anyway.

Rey had set Kyle back down on the floor and he picked up a toy and brought it over to Ben. Ben kneeled down on the carpet and took the offered toy.

“Oh, is this for me?” he asked. “Thank you!” Kyle gave him a shy smile and stepped back. Ben glanced up at Rey and she was chewing on her bottom lip as she watched the two of them.

“Pancakes are ready!” Leia called out from the kitchen. “Time to eat!” Kyle's ears perked up at the word “eat” and he ran to the kitchen with his mom and dad following behind him.

After breakfast, Ben asked Rey to go for a walk with him. The weather was nice, it wasn't too cold out, and the leaves had only just started falling. Plus, it was away from his mother, who had a knack of overhearing anything said within a 20 foot radius of her.

“It's been so long since I've been back here,” Ben said as they walked the path around the lake. “I'd forgotten how beautiful it was.”

“Why _are_ you here, Kylo?” Rey asked. “I can see your parents are thrilled to have you back, but I'm afraid you're just going to hurt them when you leave again.”

“What makes you think I'm leaving?”

“Aren't you?”

“I don't know,” he said. “I guess it depends.”

“On what?”

“On whether or not you want me around.”

“I'm sure sure Bazine will be expecting you back soon,” Rey said bitterly. “Does she know where you are?” Ben flinched at the mention of Bazine.

“How did you even hear about her?”

“Oh come on. Kylo Ren. One of Coruscant's most eligible bachelors. Off the market at last, according to the society section of the Coruscant Times.”

“Well, I am off the market as far as anyone else is concerned,” Ben replied. “But not because of Bazine. I broke it off with Bazine more than a week ago. But I doubt the reporters have caught onto that yet.”

“Why did you break it off?”

“There were plenty of reasons,” Ben replied. “But the biggest reason is because I still love you.” Rey gasped. “And I realized I couldn't marry her, or anyone else until I get some closure. I need to know if you left for a reason, or just because you decided you didn't love me.” They stopped walking and Rey wrapped her arms around herself defensively. “Rey, why did you leave? Tell me honestly. Did Snoke say something to you?”

“Nothing I didn't know already,” she said in a small voice. “He simply reminded me of how different we are. You come from royalty. I come from nothing. I'm nothing.” She let out a small huff at the end and looked at the ground.

He tilted her chin up with his hand, forcing her to look at him.

“Rey, listen to me. You are _not_ nothing. Not to me.”

“I just—I got scared. I'm not cut out for high society. I was afraid of embarrassing you, not being what you needed. You could have anyone you wanted. Why would you ever want a nobody from nowhere, that grew up scavenging scrap-piles for a second rate junk dealer?”

“What I _needed_ was for you to talk to me,” Ben said. “What I _wanted_ was to be with you. I've been away from you for two years and I can't stand it!”

“Why did you come back now?”

“I finally realized Snoke has been lying to me from the beginning,” Ben admitted. “He's always tried to control me, and now I found out he's been embezzling from my grandfather's company. I just realized—I had to know why you left, and if there was any chance I could get you back.”

“I don't even know what I'm supposed to call you. Kylo? Ben? What?”

“Kylo Ren was a name I went by, and ran the business as. It's what everyone in Coruscant knows me by. But, I never legally changed it. My driver's license, passport and bank statements have Ben Solo on them. But—I don't think I want to go by Kylo Ren anymore. That persona is tainted too much by an association with Snoke.”

“You should have told me your real name.”

“Yes. And I would have. If we'd gotten married, I would have had to anyway.”

“I put Kylo Ren on my son's birth certificate,” Rey said with a scoff. “I put a fake name on my baby's birth certificate.”

“Well, you know, Rey,” Ben said, with some irritation, “If you had bothered to tell me you were pregnant, that wouldn't have happened. Because I would have been here. But don't worry, we can get it changed. All I have to do is take a paternity test as Ben Solo.” He ran his hand through his hair with a huff, growing increasingly agitated. “You know, I still can't believe you kept this from me, Rey. I've already missed out on so much. I've been a father for a year and a half, and I didn't even know until yesterday! And if I hadn't come now, maybe I never would have known.”

“I thought it would be better that way,” Rey said in a small voice. “I thought a kid might not be what you wanted. I was trying to spare you the burden. I thought I was allowing you to move on with your life, with no baggage.”

“You made the decision for me. You never gave me a chance!”

“I'm sorry,” she whispered, bowing her head down. “I was wrong. I know that now.” He sighed and put his arms around her.

“Everything will work out Rey. And no more secrets from each other.” She put her arm around him.

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...but maybe there's more to talk about. 😉


	13. A Lot to Think About

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leia tells Rey about her family. Ben reflects on...things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a bit since I posted. We've been dealing with a stomach bug around here.

“I'm going out to the garage, Princess!” Han called as he went out the back door while Rey and Leia cleaned up after lunch. Ben had volunteered to put Kyle down for his nap.

“Leia,” Rey said, a sudden thought occuring to her. “I know Han always calls you a princess and I've never thought much about it, but—are you _literally_ a princess?” Leia smiles ruefully.

“I might have been, but I never was, officially. My grandfather was a king, but his small country was conquered and annexed in world war 2. He was killed, but my grandmother and their 2 daughters managed to escape. Padme was the eldest, and she was my biological mother. Unfortunately, she made a poor choice in a husband. My father, Anakin, got involved with the wrong people during the Cold War and when my mother found out, she left him. He went mad for a while there and ended up serving some time in jail. But Padme was pregnant with my brother and me, when she left. She died not long after we were born. I was then adopted by my mother's sister, Breha, and her husband Bail Organa. He was a senator. So I guess you can say my family's always been involved in politics.”

“So that's why you didn't want anything to do with your father?” Rey asked. “I know—Ben said you always kept him away from his grandfather.” Leia sighed.

“Ben always found it hard to relate to me and Han. He was always such an introvert. And Han used to be away a lot when Ben was younger. Ben was difficult to understand because he wouldn't talk to us. And he used to have some anger issues. He overheard my mother, Breha, comparing him to Anakin, and of course that simply intrigued him and he started demanding to meet him. I think he must have thought Anakin would be able to relate to him the way the rest of us never could. Of course, as a mother, I wouldn't let my son go anywhere near him. And I think that just made Ben angry. So, he got accepted to Coruscant University when he was 18 and we hadn't seen him since, until yesterday.”

“The baby's asleep,” Ben said suddenly, appearing in the kitchen. “I'm going out. Feel free to continue talking about me while I'm gone.”

“Ben—” Leia said, right before the front door slammed. Rey ran outside after him.

“Ben, please don't do this,” she said, catching up to him when he stopped in front of his car. “Don't go this way. Don't be upset because of my curiosity. I'm sorry. I'm just trying to learn more about your family. If I—maybe if I'd asked sooner I'd have figured out that you're Han and Leia's son before now.”

“Look, Rey. I'm not mad at you, okay? I've just had a _lot_ of new information dumped on me in a really short amount of time. My mentor's a manipulator, I just found out I'm a father and now my grandfather was a Soviet spy. I just need some time to think about things. I'm not skipping town, okay?” He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. “Now go inside. You're not wearing a jacket.”

He watched her walk back into the house before he drove away.

He decided to drive to the harbor in Chandrila, where he could look out over the ocean. It was a spot he used to come as a teenager when he needed to think.

He'd been telling Rey the truth when he said he had a lot to process. A few days ago, the only thing he had in his mind was convincing Rey that they should be together. He knew, now, that her leaving hadn't been because she didn't want him, but because of her own belief that she wasn't good enough. He even thought he detected some regret at her decisions.

But did it follow that she would want to be with him now? Clearly, she had built a life for herself here. She was at home among his family and peers in a way he never had been. Fixing cars with Han, confiding in Leia, not a bit of a troublemaker—she was the kid they should have had. The one they probably wanted. If he didn't love her so much himself, he'd probably be jealous.

And he did still love her. Desperately.

He had told himself, coming out here, that he would walk away if she'd decided she didn't want him, or if she'd found someone else. But that was before he knew they had created a child together. That kind of bond just wasn't something you could ignore. He knew with every fiber of his being, he wanted to be a part of his son's life. And he was equally certain he needed Rey with him too. Especially after seeing her again.

He knew what life was like without her. He'd spent two miserable years trying, unsuccessfully, to get over her. He didn't think he'd survive a second attempt.

But it was clear that having her in his life would also mean having his parents in his life. Was he ready for that?

He had been angry and immature 18 year old when he'd decided to leave them behind without looking back, and honestly hadn't thought much about it since then. But he'd like to think he could look at things with a little more insight now.

He'd been angry at his mother's refusal to let him meet his biological grandfather. And knowing his grandfather now, Ben knew that Anakin was not the madman his mother thought he was. But now he could appreciate her perspective of wanting to keep her child away from someone she saw as dangerous.

Ben found that, as a father now, he could hardly blame his mother for her caution. If there was someone he felt was a threat to his son, he would do everything in his power to keep his child away from them.

He sighed and ran his hands through his hair at this screwed up situation.

His phone dinged, indicating a text.

**Rey**: Hey Ben. I'm meeting some friends at the Resistance Fun Zone. You're welcome to come hang out with us! I'm taking the baby with me.

**Ben**: What's Resistance Fun Zone?

**Rey**: It's like a pizza place but they have laser tag and an arcade and stuff. There is a little kids play area too. Kyle loves it. We usually come like once a month. We're meeting at 5.

**Ben**: Ok, where is it?

**Rey**: Go north on Radus Street and cut through Supremacy Avenue. Then it's right on the left.

**Ben**: Ok, I'll be there.

**Rey**: Great! See you then! x


	14. Resistance Fun Zone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey hang out with Rey's friends.

  
From Rey's description, Ben half expected the place to look like Chuck E Cheese inside. It wasn't quite that childish, but it was still the type of place Ben hadn't been in a decade or so. More family friendly than a club, it seem to be patronized primarily by teens and young families, with a smattering of college students.

It was an uncomfortable reminder of just how much younger she was than him. Not that it really mattered. Not to him. And if people were going to judge, it was too late to stop that now. After all, he had fathered a child with her.

He finally spotted Rey sitting with four other young women and a young man with light brown hair that he hadn't seen before.

“Where's Kyle?” Ben asked, looking at the empty highchair at the end of the table.

“Oh, Finn and Poe took him to the little kids' section to play,” Rey replied. Ben frowned at the thought of Dameron interacting with his kid. “Why don't you sit and meet everyone?” Rey then proceeded to introduce him to all her friends.

Rose Tico was one of Rey's co-workers and Ben vaguely remembered seeing her before, at Maz's. Her sister, Paige, was a computer analyst at Rebel Tech and the young man was Eddie Kappehl, who also worked at Rebel Tech.

The blonde, on whose chair Eddie casually had his arm resting, was Kaydel Connix and apparently she was his mother's secretary.

Jessica Pava was an attractive brunette who was a friend of Poe's and was the only woman who participated in the Kessel Run races, along with Poe and Han.

So, essentially, he was surrounded by people who thought his parents hung the moon. And Rey was right there in the middle of it.

The pizzas arrived at the table and Rey got up to let Finn and Poe know the food was here.

Paige took this opportunity to walk around the table and sit in the chair next to Ben.

“So, Ben Solo, huh?” she said, leaning toward him. He turned to look at her with raised eyebrows. “What brings you back to these parts, hmm?”

“I, um, actually came to see Rey,” he replied.

“I understand you're the mystery man she hasn't quite gotten over during the past two years,” Paige went on. “I hope you're not going to break her heart. I think it would kill her for you to show up only to leave again.”

“I don't plan to. I love her. I want her back. I just hope I'm not too late.” He glanced up to see Rey and Poe walking with Kyle between them, holding both their hands and Finn on the other side of Poe. They were still a ways off. To any on-lookers, they would look like a happy little family.

Ben's expression darkened at the sight and he realized just in time that he was holding a glass in his hand and loosened his grip.

Paige sighed.

“Yeah, someone's bound to come out of this with a broken heart,” she said, looking at Poe and Rey. “It can be hard watching someone you love fall for someone else. Especially when they're a constant in your life. And you subject yourself to it because, as much as it pains you to see them with someone else, not having them in your life is worse.”

Ben furrowed his brows at her and had a sneaking suspicion they weren't talking about him and Rey anymore.

“But we're in good company,” Paige resumed, snapping out of her reverie and gripping Ben on the forearm. She smiled at him conspiritorily, leaned toward him and lowered her voice. “If she does choose you, you'd better not make her regret it.” He smiled back at her.

“Oh believe me, I have no intention of doing that.”

Rey, Poe and Finn arrived at the table at that time. Rey glanced toward them with a furrowed brow, but quickly brushed it away and started putting Kyle in his high chair. Kyle immediately started reaching toward the pizza and fussing.

Ben grabbed a breadstick and handed it to the toddler, who happily accepted it.

“Ben!” Rey said with annoyance. “I wanted him to eat his fruit first. And now he's gonna scream if I take it away.”

“It's just a breadstick,” Ben said. “It's not a big deal. Unless he's allergic. He's not allergic is he?”

“No,” Rey answered. “I just don't want him filling up on bread. I mean, why don't you go ahead and fill his sippy up with soda, while you're at it?”

“Seriously, Rey?” Ben said, growing annoyed himself. “It's one breadstick. Is it really gonna cause that much damage?”

“Rey, babe, I think we can let it slide this once,” Poe said in a low voice.

“Why don't you stay out of it, Dameron?” Ben snapped. “He's not your kid.” Poe raised his hands in surrender.

“Wow, this pizza looks so good!” Finn exclaimed suddenly. “I know I can't wait! Here, Rey, you wanted sausage and pepperoni, right?”

“Um, yeah, thanks,” Rey said, taking the plate Finn offered her. Ben glanced down at the other end of the table where everyone else seemed to be talking a little _too_ enthusiastically in an effort to ignore what would have otherwise become a really awkward discussion.

*****************************************************************************************************************************

After the pizza was gone and a couple games of laser tag had been played, Rey finally decided to call it a night.

Rey had borrowed Han's car to come out, so Ben followed her home in his.

Han and Leia were still up when they got home, as it wasn't very late. Leia was working on her laptop and Han was on the couch watching “Fast N Loud.”

Rey took Kyle upstairs to put him to bed and Ben plopped down on the couch next to his dad.

“So, how was it?” Leia asked. “Did you have fun?”

“It was ok,” Ben mumbled. “Until Rey and I got into a argument because I gave the baby a breadstick. He was fussing and I was just trying to get him quiet.”

Han chuckled. “You should have seen her when I gave the kid a piece of chocolate a couple weeks ago,” he said. “You'd have thought I was poisoning the kid.”

“Rey is a typical new mother,” Leia said. “She is just trying to do what's best for her child. And we should respect that.”

“Yeah, well, he's my kid too,” Ben said. “Shouldn't I get a say?”

“True,” Leia said, pursing her lips. “But you two are new to the co-parenting thing. It may take some time to come to an agreement about everything. And some things you may never agree on.”

“Learn to pick your battles, kid,” Han added.

Rey came back downstairs, so Leia resumed working on her laptop and Han and Ben fell silent as Rey joined them and asked Han to catch he up on what she had missed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't know what Fast N Loud is, it's a car show where they find and restore old cars. Seems like something Han and Rey would both enjoy. Check it out here: https://go.discovery.com/tv-shows/fast-n-loud/
> 
> If you're wondering who Eddie Kappehl is, he's a minor character in TLJ. This is what he looks like without his gear (https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Dan_Euston). In case you were wondering. 😉


	15. Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey have another important conversation.

Rey knocked on Ben's door. 

“Ben?” she said in soft voice, so as not to wake anyone else. “It's Rey. Are you up?” 

“Come in,” he said from inside. She opened the door and went in, but stopped abruptly when she saw him standing there in his sleeping pants, holding the T-shirt he had yet to put on. 

“Oh!” she squeaked, torn between gaping at the well-sculpted pectorals directly in her line of sight, or blushing and looking away. “Sorry. I didn't know you were still...getting dressed.” 

“Why are you so embarrassed, Sweetheart?” Ben asked her with a small smile. “It's nothing you haven't seen before.” This just caused her to blush even deeper.

“I know,” she breathed. “But—it's been awhile. It's distracting.” She sat on the edge of his bed. “I just—came to apologize for how I acted earlier. About the whole thing with Kyle and the breadstick.” Ben sat down next to her. “It was a really stupid thing to fight about.” 

“Mhmm,” Ben said, reaching out to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “It kinda was.” 

“I just got saw you looking so friendly with Paige and I guess, I got a little jealous.” 

“Why would you be jealous?” Ben asked her. “We were mostly talking about you and how I'd better not break your heart.” 

“Really?” 

“Rey, I came all the way across the country because I wanted to be with you, not so I could pick up some other girl. I could have done that in Coruscant if that was what I wanted. And you want to talk about jealous—how do you think I felt watching you and Dameron walking around with our son, like some happy family? I can't believe you're dating him!” Suddenly, a horrifying thought occurred to him. “You guys haven't—have you—?” 

“What? No,” Rey said. “I didn't even know Poe had feelings for me until yesterday. We've been really good friends for a while. But we never went on a date until yesterday. I haven't—there's never been anyone else, Ben. Just you.” Something primal in Ben purred with satisfaction at this declaration. 

“Me either,” Ben said. “I haven't been with anyone since you.” 

“What about your fiance?” 

“That was more like an arranged marriage,” Ben said with a huff. “Or—engagement. Nothing happened.” 

“Arranged marriage?” Rey questioned. “Is that even a thing anymore?” 

“Well, Snoke arranged it. Bazine is his granddaughter, you see.” Rey scoffed at the mention of Snoke. “I had lost you—and at that point nothing mattered anymore.” 

“Oh Ben.” Rey reached up and cupped his cheek in her hand and Ben instantly placed his hand over hers. “I'm so sorry. For all of it. I'm sorry I was weak. I'm sorry I let Snoke get to me. And I'm sorry—” She choked on a sob. “I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Kyle!” 

“Hey,” Ben said, wrapping his arms around her. “Don't do that. We can't change the past. I just want us to think about the future. Our future. That is—if you want one with me.” 

“It's all I ever wanted,” Rey said. “It's just hard for me to understand why someone like you would want—someone like me.” 

“Rey, look at me.” Ben leaned back slightly and tilted Rey's chin up with his hand, compelling her to look him into his eyes. “You are the most beautiful, selfless, amazing person I know. And I'm sorry you spent so many years around people who didn't recognize that. And I hate that you ever had a reason to think I was one of them.” 

“No, Ben,” Rey started. 

“I should have tried harder,” Ben said. “I should have suspected Snoke was working on you and made sure you didn't believe him. But you should know, I never wanted a socialite, or an heiress or whatever other crap Snoke told you. I wanted someone who I could be myself with, fall in love with, maybe even have a family with. And you—you're already all of those.” When Rey didn't offer a response, except to take a deep breath as she absorbed his words, Ben took advantage of the silence to lean forward and lightly brush his lips against hers. 

He kissed her tentatively at first, as if guaging her reaction, but when she grabbed his face between her hands and deepened the kiss, his careful restraint went out the window. 

Ben put one arm behind her back, and the other under her knees and lifted her just enough to ease her to the middle of the bed. 

He hovered over her, resting his forearms on either side of her head, and immediately resumed kissing her. 

His hand moved to her knee, and slowly started sliding up her thigh, while his mouth moved down her neck to her collarbone, eliciting a light gasp from her. 

“Oh Ben,” she breathed out, her fingers teasing the waistband of his sleep pants. “I missed this. I missed you so much.” 

“Tell me what you want, Rey,” he said in a low voice. “Do you want this? I wanna hear you say it.” 

“Yes, Ben,” she said. “I want it all.” It was exactly what he wanted to hear. His fingers edged up to the waistband of her shorts. “But—” He paused. “I'm not on birth control.” Not exactly what he wanted to hear. He leaned his head on her shoulder and exhaled sharply. 

“Well,” he said, wrapping his arms around her and adjusting them so he was spooning her from behind. “Kyle is probably about ready for a little brother or sister.” 

“Haha, very funny,” Rey said. Then, when he didn't immediately respond, “You are joking, right?” 

“Hmm,” he said, nosing at the back of her neck. “Do you want me to be?” Rey shifted so she was on her back and turned her face toward him, furrowing her brow.

“Well,” Ben said slowly. “I can't say I'm completely opposed to the idea—if it were something you wanted. But obviously I understand if you—if you're not ready for that.” 

“Ben you literally just walked back into my life,” she said. “Don't you think we should, I don't know, be married, or something before we make big decisions like that? In a committed relationship at the very least.” 

“Well, then, let's go to the courthouse tomorrow,” Ben said with a smirk, while Rey rolled her eyes. 

“If that's your idea of a proposal, you're gonna have to do better than that,” she said. 

“I'm kidding,” Ben said. “At least about the courthouse. But, seriously. I missed out on everything when you were—expecting. I'd really like to experience everything. Be there for you.” 

“Yeah, you missed out on a lot,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Morning sickness, mood swings, stretch marks and me feeling like a beached whale. Real attractive, that.” 

“The idea of your body, growing my child inside you? It's actually kind of a turn on.” Rey looked at him skeptically, then he grinned. “And, you know, the whole breastfeeding thing might be kind of fun.”

“You are such a pervert,” Rey scoffed. 

“Hmm, yes. But I'm your pervert.” Rey rolled her eyes. 

“Why don't you just hold me for a little while?” she said, adjusting herself so her back was pressed back against his front. 

“Of course,” Ben said, wrapping his arms around her. “As long as you want.”


	16. Bad News from Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leia walks in on a sleeping Rey and Ben. Ben receives bad news from Coruscant.

  
Ben woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the bedroom door.  
“Ben?” He heard his mother's voice on the other side of the door. “Are you awake? Do you know where Rey is?” Ben barely registered what she was saying when the door opened and Leia walked in, holding Kyle. “The baby was fussing and I—oh!”  
Rey was sitting up, disoriented and hair mussed from sleep.  
“Whaa—?”  
“Well!” Leia said. “I'm certainly not opposed to more grandchildren, but I would hope you two would be a little more circumspect this time around.”  
“Mom!” Ben exclaimed, while Rey buried her face in her hands, red from embarrassment. “Nothing happened. We were literally only sleeping.”  
“Whatever you say dear,” Leia replied. “I suppose it's none of my business after all. You're not a child. I'll just take Kyle downstairs and give him his breakfast.”  
“I think I'll go die now,” Rey mumbled into her hands.  
“Hey, Sweetheart,” Ben said, wrapping his arms around her. “Don't worry about it. “It's really not a big deal.” He paused. “You're not—you haven't changed your mind, have you? About—what we talked about last night.”  
Rey finally looked up.  
“What? No!” she said emphatically. “I—I do want to be with you. I think I owe it to Kyle, to give us a chance to be a family. A real family.” Ben's lips pressed into a thin line.  
“I don't want you to feel obligated just because we have a kid together,” Ben said. “I'd still be there for you, no matter what.”  
“That's not what I meant!” Rey said quickly. “I'd still want to, even if—even if there were no child. I want to be with you. I do. It's just—an extra incentive, I guess. I love you. I never stopped.”  
“I love you too,” Ben replied. “I never stopped loving you either.” 

*******************************************************************************************************************************************

Rey came down the stairs after her morning shower and walked in on Ben and Kyle in the living room. Ben was craddling a giggling Kyle in his arms, swinging him side to side, singing a goofy song Rey had never heard before.  
“You’re my little pumpkin pop, pumpkin pop, puuuumpkin pop. Hangin at the chocolate shop, waaaiting for the moon to drooop.” With this, Ben quickly lowered Kyle to the floor as if he were falling in slow motion and Rey couldn't help but giggle at the scene.  
“Where is the world did you hear that song?” she asked him. He smiled sheepishly.  
“I don't even remember,” he said. “Some TV show or something? It's one of those things that gets stuck in your head, I guess.”  
Before she could reply, Ben's phone started ringing. He pulled it out to see who was calling and frowned to see it was his assistant.  
“What is it, Mitaka?” Ben said into the phone.  
“I'm sorry to bother you on your vacation, Mr. Ren,” Mitaka said, “But you said to call if there was an emergency.”  
“Well, is there?”  
“Sir, Mr. Snoke has been arrested and everything thing is in uproar,” Mitaka replied. “Also, your grandfather is in the hospital. He had a heart attack, presumably when he heard about Mr. Snoke's arrest. It—it doesn't look good.” Ben muttered a curse under his breath.  
“Who's running the company right now?”  
“Mr. Hux has taken charge for the time being,” Mitaka said.  
“I'll bet he has,” Ben muttered. Then he sighed. “I guess I have no choice, do I? I have to come back there. I couldn't even have a week!”  
“I'm sorry, Sir,” Mitaka replied. “I thought you would want to know.”  
“No, you were right to call me,” Ben said. “I needed to know this.”  
“Do you want me to make your travel arrangements for you?” Mitaka asked.  
“No, I'll do it,” Ben said with a sigh. “I might—I might be bringing someone with me.”  
“Yes Sir,” Mitaka replied. “I'll let you know of any new developments.”  
“Thank you, Mitaka.” 

*************************************************************************************************************************************************

“Is everything ok, Ben?” Leia asked when he returned to the kitchen.  
“Not really,” Ben said tersely. “Your father might be dying, though. In case you're interested.” Leia pressed her lip into a flat line.  
“Oh, no, Ben,” Rey said. “What are you going to do? Are you—leaving?” She tried to ignore the tight feeling in her chest at the thought of Ben leaving her again.  
He took took her hand and led her back into the other room.  
“Rey,” he said. “I have to go back to Coruscant as soon as possible. It's not only my grandfather. Snoke's been arrested for fraud and embezzlement. That means Imperial is currently operating without it's highest ranking officials. It's chaos. I need to do what I can to fix it.”  
“I can't believe you have to leave already,” Rey said, blinking back tears and wrapping her arms around herself. “We just got you back. Your mother was so excited you might be here for Thanksgiving.”  
“Rey, I know this is horrible timing, but—” he paused.  
“I know, you have to go,” Rey said sadly.  
“I want you to join me,” Ben said. “Please.”  
“What?”  
“I want you and Kyle to come with me to Coruscant. I can't stand the idea of not having you with me. But I also don't know how to refuse to go. Trying to choose between staying here with you and doing everything else I need to do—I feel like I'm being torn apart.  
“Oh Ben,” Rey said.  
“I promise I'm going to try to get everything under control as soon as possible,” Ben said. “Hopefully before Christmas.”  
“Christmas?!” Rey exclaimed. “I can't take off that much time from work. Especially on such short notice. And during the holiday season. Do you know how many people wait till the last minute to get their cars checked before their holiday travels?”  
“I know it's a lot to ask,” Ben said. “But I need you. I don't know what's waiting for me there. Han will understand. He'll let you off. I know he will. He'd probably even offer you paid leave. But I don't think I can go without you.”  
“Okay, Ben,” Rey said. “We'll go with you.”


	17. Bad Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben, Rey and Kyle arrive in Coruscant. Luke shows up. This (probably) isn't going to go the way you think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been forever since I've updated. 😬 Had some terrible writer's block, plus it's been crazy busy. But hopefully it won't be another 4 months till the next update!

After they arrived in Corsucant, the first thing Ben did after arriving at the mansion was take off to see his grandfather. Since children weren't supposed to be in the ICU, Rey stayed at the house with Kyle.

Before they left Takodana, Ben had instructed his butler to set up one the rooms as a playroom and order a selection of children's furniture and toys for Kyle. If Rey couldn't go to the hospital with Ben, then at least she could be there to oversee the deliveries.

Rey's frugal mind balked at the amount of money she know must be spent on all of this, especially for a temporary stay, but Ben silenced her with protestations of having never been able to do this for his son before.

Rey came downstairs after hearing the doorbell, expecting another one of these deliveries and was surprised to find instead, Leia's twin brother Luke.

Rey had only met Luke a handful of times, but there was no mistaking the scruffy, sandy-haired hermit. Luke lived on an island called Ahch To off the coast of Chandrila.

Ahch To was a quiet little seaside town with little more than a small grocery store, a couple of gas stations and a few local restaurants. The only way to and from the island was by boat. Rey had even visited once with Leia.

Luke rarely left the island except when Leia cajoled him over for holidays. He was the CEO of Rebel Tech but ran the business from home for the most part. Which is why seeing him all the way across the country struck Rey as particularly odd.

“Mr. Skywalker?” Rey said. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, hello to you, too, Rey,” Luke replied with a wry smile.

“I'm sorry,” Rey said. “That came out wrong. I'm just surprised to see you here.”

“Well, this is my father's house,” Luke said. “And he recently had a heart attack. I just came from the hospital. Now, might I ask what _you're_ doing here?”

“I came here with Ben,” she said. “He just got the news this morning and we came as soon as we could.”

“So you know my nephew?” Luke asked. “And he was in Takodana? After years of avoiding his parents?”

“He came to find me,” Rey said. “We were—together about 2 years ago. And now, I suppose we're together again.”

“Two years, huh?” Luke said, glancing at Kyle. “ So the kid—”

“Yes, Kyle is Ben's son,” Rey answered the unfinished question. “Ben didn't know about him until last week.”

“I see,” Luke said, pressing his lips into a flat line. “So where is he now?”

“Ben? He's at the hospital now. Did you not see him?”

“Must have just missed him,” Luke said. “Probably for the best. Last time I saw Ben he stabbed me in the gut.”

“I'm sorry, what?” Rey asked him, shocked. “Did you just say he stabbed you?”

“Yep,” Luke confirmed. “Left me bleeding on my living room floor, then stole my boat to get back to Chandrila.”

Rey was left reeling at this information. She had heard of Ben's temper, but she had imagined screaming matches or maybe kicking a wall. But to think he could go so far as to stab someone? A _family_ member, even? It was unfathomable.

“No,” she said finally. “I can't believe that.” Luke placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I understand it can be difficult to hear someone you care about has violent tendencies,” he said. “Especially when there's a child involved.”

“I hope you're not suggesting that Ben would _ever_ hurt his son,” Rey said hotly. “He's not dangerous. Not to us.”

“He has anger issues, Rey,” Luke told her softly. “So did my father. Right before my sister and I were born, my father came to see my mother. She was staying with my aunt and uncle and he tried to get her to come back home. They quarelled and my father went into a rage and my mother was injured and it triggered her labor.

“He didn't mean to hurt her. He loved her. I believe that. But he was not in control of himself. Just like Ben wasn't in control of himself when he attacked me. My father has had to live with the consequences of his actions for the rest of his life. To this day, my sister won't even speak to him.”

“But you do,” Rey said. “Why?”

“When I became of age, I made the decision to reach out to him. I wanted to meet my biological father.” He shrugged. Rey could not really argue with that logic, since she would have done the same had she had the opportunity to meet her parents.

“But your sister did not,” she said instead. It was a statement rather than a question.

“No, Leia never wanted anything to do with him,” Luke replied. “We had a huge argument about it when I did. She felt it was an insult to our mother's memory. I think my aunt and uncle would have preferred I stay away too. But I was determined.”

“And what did you find?”

“My father has done some bad things,” Luke replied. “He had anger issues, much like Ben. But he regrets the things he's done and has done his best to be a better person.”

“You gave your father a second chance,” Rey said. “Why doesn't your nephew deserve the same?”

“I did give my father a second chance, in a sense,” Luke replied. “However, he was _not_ fit to raise children. I was able to make the decision to reach out myself.”

“I hope you're not suggesting Ben is not fit to be around his son,” Rey said with some asperity. Luke sighed, which made Rey think that's exactly what Luke had been thinking.

“I'm just saying you should be aware,” Luke said instead. “Don't let your emotions get in the way of what's best for your son.”

“I won't keep Ben's son from him,” Rey told him. “I already tried that and it left us both brokenhearted. Whatever Ben may have been when you last saw him, I don't think he's like that now. He would never hurt us. Either of us.”

“As you say, kid,” Luke replied in a resigned tone. “As you say.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, not a very Reylo chapter. But sort of necessary.


	18. Surprise Visits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, how has Ben's day been going?

Armitage Hux sat at his desk at Imperial Enterprises, trying to focus on his work with a very distracting Bazine Netal perched on his desk next to his computer.  
“Oh, come on, Armie. Aren't you even going to look at me?” she whined.  
“As much as I would love to give you the attention you're so desperately craving, Darling,” Hux said, barely glancing up at her, “These forms are not going to fill themselves out. And I'm terribly behind thanks to those agents nosing around here. With Ren gone who-knows-where, and your grandfather—indisposed—I'm the one left to clean up this mess.”  
“Indisposed,” Bazine scoffed. “That's one way of putting it, I suppose. This whole ordeal has been most inconvenient for me. Not to mention embarassing.”  
“I should imagine so,” was the only comment Hux offered. “Do you know if Ren is coming back soon? I thought if anything his grandfather's condition would bring him back out of hiding.”  
“I neither know nor care,” Bazine said haughtily. “He left lunch in a terrible huff last week and I haven't heard from him since. But I'm not here to talk about Kylo.” She removed herself from the desk and planted herself on Hux's lap, instead. “I came to tell you I'm stealing you away for Thanksgiving this weekend. We can go to my family's cabin up north. It's got a hot tub and servants.”  
“Sounds very rustic,” Hux said with a wry smile. “But I'm not sure—” Bazine cut him off with a kiss.  
“Don't you dare say you're busy,” she told him.  
They were interrupted by the turning of the office door handle and both heads jerked that direction to see Ben Solo walk in.  
Hux scrambled to stand up, causing Bazine to nearly tumble to the floor and Ben stood looking at them with raised eyebrows.  
“Well, Hux, I'm glad to see you've been taking care of things in my absence,” he said, eyes flitting back and forth between them.  
“Yes, well, you see—”  
“It's not what it looks like,” Bazine cut in.  
“Isn't it?” Ben said calmly. “Either way, I don't care. We're not engaged anymore. You can do what you want.”  
“What?” Hux and Bazine said simultaneously.  
“This is ridiculous,” Bazine said. “Of course we're still getting married. We've already made deposits on the baker, the caterers, the venue...”  
“I'll take the financial loss,” Ben said. “But I'm not gonna marry you, Bazine.”  
“This is about what happened with my grandfather, isn't it?” Bazine hissed. “Well, I'll have you know even if he loses everything, I've still got plenty of money from my father's side.”  
“Then you should be very well taken care of,” Ben said placidly. “And I'm very happy for you. But I told you last week the wedding was off.”  
“You cannot humiliate me like this!” Bazine exclaimed.  
“Really, Bazine? Really? I walk in to see you straddling the lap of my CFO and I'm the bad guy?” Bazine scowled and started gathering up her coat and handbag.  
“You know what, whatever,” she said as she gathered her things and walked towards the door. “Screw you.”  
“Oh, Bazine,” Ben said. “While you're here...I need that necklace that you wore to the engagement party.”  
“Excuse me?”  
“It's actually a family heirloom but your grandfather stole it from me,” Ben went on. “I've got a witness and video footage. I could go ahead and report it stolen, but I thought you might prefer to avoid that avenue. You know. Considering.”  
“Fine,” Bazine said. “I don't want it anyway.”  
“Feel free to keep the ring, though,” Ben said as she shoved past him with a final glare as she slammed the door behind her.  
Ben and Hux stood in awkward silence for a few moments before Ben finally spoke.  
“There is no need to discuss what just happened. I really came here to talk about the business anyway.”  
Hux nodded with a sigh of relief.  
“Of course, Mr. Ren.”  
“Oh, I forgot to mention. I'm going by Ben Solo now.” 

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

Ben arrived at the hospital later in the afternoon after spending several hours at the office. He had already been to visit his grandfather first thing that morning, but hadn't been able to have much conversation with him, thanks to all the medications he was on. Not that it would be any different in the afternoon.  
But the doctors had told him that his grandfather likely didn't have much time left.  
He approached the door of Anakin's hospital room and reached out to open it when it was opened from the other side.  
He snatched his hand back and looked up, expecting to see a doctor or a member of the hospital staff, but instead it was the last person he expected to see darken his grandfather's doorway.  
“Mother?” he said.  
“Benjamin,” Leia replied. After the initial shock of seeing his mother there had worn off, he noticed her eyes were bright and puffy, but her facial expression was stoic and dignified.  
This was a look he knew well. He'd seen it many times after his parents had had one of their fights and his father stomped out of the house and Leia simply resumed her daily rituals.  
It was not something to be spoken of, or even acknowledged.  
So now Ben was left feeling as helpless to offer comfort to his mother as he had when he was twelve.  
“Why are you here?” he finally asked.  
“I've been thinking about things,” Leia said. “You were right. I have held a grudge against Anakin all these years. I held him responsible for my mother's death. And I hated that you felt more connected to him than me or your father. But it seemed to mean a lot to you—that I—that I see him at least once before—before—” She trailed off.  
Ben tentatively put his arms around her. It really did mean a lot to him. He knew how she'd always felt about her biological father and what it took for her to be here.  
“And did you—talk?” he asked her.  
“Yes,” she mumbled into his shirt, before releasing him. “We had—a good conversation, I think. Luke also told me it would probably be healing for me and that I would regret it one day if I passed up this opportunity for closure. And it occurred to me that if he felt half the regret that I felt when you left home 10 years ago, then perhaps he deserved the chance to at least be heard.”  
“Mother...” Ben said with a frown.  
“No no,” Leia said. “I'm not saying that to make you feel guilty. It's just that for any kind of relationship, both sides deserve to be heard. And I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you couldn't talk to me.”  
“Mom, maybe this isn't the best place for this discussion.”  
“No, you're right.” Leia patted his cheek. “Why don't you go on in? I think I saw a Starbucks downstairs. Why don't you meet me down there when you're done?”  
“Ok Mom,” Ben said. He walked his mother walk away and then went in to see his grandfather.”


End file.
